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Student made first ferry distress call

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Story highlights

No bodies found in cafeteria, where many people were thought to have been

Crew made a distress call three minutes after passenger, South Korean coast guard says

Nine crew members facing charges in ferry sinking

The first distress call from the ferry Sewol came not from the crew, but from a boy who used a cell phone to contact emergency services from aboard the sinking ship, the South Korean coast guard confirmed to CNN Tuesday.

CNN affiliate JTBC reported that the boy dialed South Korea's emergency number, telling dispatchers for a local fire service, "Help us. The boat is sinking." The boy's fate was not clear.

It was not until three minutes later, the coast guard told CNN, that the ship's crew made a distress call to maritime officials.

The revelation is likely to add to questions about the conduct of the crew, nine of whom are facing charges in last week's sinking.

Among other things, authorities have questioned why an inexperienced third mate was guiding the ship at the time of the accident, why so few of the ferry's life rafts were deployed and why crew members ordered passengers to don life vests and stay put.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A relative of a victim weeps as she and others stand on the deck of a boat during a visit to the site of the sunken Sewol ferry on April 15, 2015 -- one day before the one year anniversary of the disaster.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A relative hands out flowers to others on the deck of a boat during a visit to the site of the sunken ferry. More than 100 relatives of victims of South Korea's Sewol ferry disaster tearfully cast flowers into the sea.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A man hold a flower as he stands on the deck of a boat during a visit to the site of the sunken Sewol ferry, off the coast of South Korea's southern island of Jindo.

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South Korean ferry sinks – The mother of Sewol ferry disaster victim, Danwon High School student Lim Kyung-Bin, attends a rally to pay tribute to the victims of the ferry disaster on April 11, 2015, Seoul, South Korea.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Relatives of victims of the Sewol ferry disaster march across a bridge over the Han river in Seoul on April 5, 2015. More than 200 people participated in the march from Ansan city. Many of them were the parents of the 250 students who died when the overloaded ferry sank off Jindo on April 16, 2014.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Relatives of victims of the Sewol ferry hold portraits of victims during a rally on April 5, 2015 in Seoul. Relatives, students and citizens attended the vigil to pay tribute to the victims of the ferry disaster and demanded that the wreckage be salvaged.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Sewol ferry captain Lee Joon-Seok was acquitted of murder, avoiding a death sentence, but was sentenced to 36 years in jail on November 11 for his role in the maritime disaster that killed more than 300.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Shoes believed to belong to the missing and the deceased are on display at the harbor.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Jindo harbor, where the search operation is based, has become a memorial for those who lost their lives. Yellow ribbons and photos are displayed as people come to pay their respects.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A joint government-civilian task force is still looking for the missing, but winter is fast approaching.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Ten are still missing from tragic ferry sinking last April, which killed more than 300. Six months later, families are still waiting for their loved ones to be found. The parents of 16-year-old Huh Da-yoon, pictured, are among them.

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South Korean ferry sinks – The families of the ten who remain missing have been waiting in Jindo Indoor Gymnasium since the first day. Families can watch search mission in real time on a large monitor in the gym.

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South Korean ferry sinks – South Korean President Park Geun-hye weeps while delivering a speech to the nation about the sunken ferry Sewol at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, May 19. More than 200 bodies have been found and nearly 100 people remain missing after the ferry sank April 16 off South Korea's southwest coast.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Police in Seoul detain a protester during a march Saturday, May 17, for victims of the Sewol.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A girl in Seoul holds a candle during a service paying tribute to the victims of the Sewol on Wednesday, April 30.

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South Korean ferry sinks – People pay tribute to victims at a memorial altar in Ansan, South Korea, on Tuesday, April 29.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A police officer holds an umbrella for a relative of a missing ferry passenger Monday, April 28, in Jindo, South Korea.

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South Korean ferry sinks – South Korean Buddhists carry lanterns in a parade in Seoul on Saturday, April 26, to honor the memory of the dead and the safe return of the missing.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Divers search for people in the waters near Jindo on April 26.

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South Korean ferry sinks – People in Ansan attend a memorial for the victims on April 26.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A diver jumps into the sea near the sunken ferry on Friday, April 25.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A relative of a passenger weeps while waiting for news of his missing loved one at a port in Jindo on April 25.

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South Korean ferry sinks – People attend a memorial for the victims at the Olympic Memorial Hall in Ansan on Thursday, April 24.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Yellow ribbons honoring the victims flap in the wind as a hearse carrying a victim's body leaves Danwon High School in Ansan on April 24. Most of the people on board the ferry were high school students on their way to the resort island of Jeju.

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South Korean ferry sinks – People attend a memorial for the victims at Olympic Memorial Hall in Ansan.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Search personnel dive into the sea on Wednesday, April 23.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Flares light up the search area on Tuesday, April 22.

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South Korean ferry sinks – The sun sets over the site of the sunken ferry on April 22.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A relative of a ferry passenger prays as she waits for news in Jindo on April 22.

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South Korean ferry sinks – The search for victims continues April 22 in the waters of the Yellow Sea.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Rescue workers in Jindo carry the body of a passenger on Monday, April 21.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Divers jump into the water on April 21 to search for passengers near the buoys that mark the site of the sunken ferry.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Search operations continue as flares illuminate the scene near Jindo on Sunday, April 20.

South Korean ferry sinks – Relatives of passengers look out at the sea from Jindo on April 20.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Police officers in Jindo stand guard Saturday, April 19, to prevent relatives of the ferry's missing passengers from jumping in the water. Some relatives said they will swim to the shipwreck site and find their missing family members by themselves.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Family members of missing passengers hug as they await news of their missing relatives at Jindo Gymnasium on April 19.

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South Korean ferry sinks – South Korean Navy Ship Salvage Unit members prepare to salvage the sunken ferry and search for missing people on April 19.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Lee Joon Suk, the captain of the Sewol, is escorted to the court that issued his arrest warrant Friday, April 18, in Mokpo, South Korea.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A woman cries as she waits for news on missing passengers April 18 in Jindo.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A searchlight illuminates the capsized ferry on Thursday, April 17.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A woman cries during a candlelight vigil at Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea, on April 17.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Family members of passengers aboard the sunken ferry gather at a gymnasium in Jindo on April 17.

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South Korean ferry sinks – The body of a victim is moved at a hospital in Mokpo on April 17.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Relatives of a passenger cry at a port in Jindo on April 17 as they wait for news on the rescue operation.

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South Korean ferry sinks – South Korean coast guard members and rescue teams search for passengers at the site of the sunken ferry on April 17.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A relative of a passenger cries as she waits for news on Wednesday, April 16.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Relatives check a list of survivors April 16 in Jindo.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Rescue crews attempt to save passengers from the ferry on April 16.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A relative waits for a missing loved one at the port in Jindo.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Parents at Danwon High School search for names of their children among the list of survivors. Ansan is a suburb of Seoul, the South Korean capital.

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South Korean ferry sinks – Helicopters hover over the ferry as rescue operations continue April 16.

South Korean ferry sinks – A passenger is helped onto a rescue boat on April 16.

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South Korean ferry sinks – A passenger is rescued from the sinking ship on April 16.

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At least 146 people are confirmed dead, according to the joint task force leading the search. Earlier, when the death toll was reported to be 128, authorities had said that 174 people were still missing.

The death toll had been expected to climb as divers were able to reach the ship's cafeteria, where many passengers were thought to be when the ship began to have troubles last week. But early Wednesday, the coast guard said no bodies had been found in the cafeteria.

Search for survivors goes on

Rescuers will continue to focus on the third and fourth decks of the five-level ship, said Koh Myung-seok, a spokesman for the joint task force.

Above the ship, two buoys marked its location in the water, surrounded by dozens of vessels, ranging from dinghies to warships. Inflatable powerboats zipped across the sea, ferrying divers to the area.

Searchers used guide ropes to lead them into the submerged ferry.

"Divers can't even see their hands," Koh said.

Bard Yoon, one of the divers, said conditions are so bad "my heart aches."

"We're going in thinking there may be survivors," he said. "When we have to come back with nothing, we can't even face the families."

On shore, relatives of missing passengers waited anxiously, many of them parents of high school students who were on a field trip. As bodies come in, they are called into white domed tents to identify the remains of their loved ones.

Authorities said the efforts are still a search and rescue operation, but no survivors have been found since 174 people were rescued soon after the ferry went down.

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As the search continues, investigators are trying to figure out what happened to make the ship list before finally capsizing and sinking into the ocean.

Initial criticism has focused on the captain and some crew members. South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Monday that their actions were "akin to murder."

The captain, Lee Joon-seok, has defended his decision to tell passengers to stay put as the ferry began sinking, saying he was concerned about the sea's strong currents and cold water as well as the lack of rescue ships.

Questions have been raised about why the third mate was steering the ship when it ran into trouble on its way to a popular vacation island. The captain was in his cabin at the time.

Chonghaejin Marine, which operated the ferry, has posted an apology on its website.

"We pray for the Sewol victims who lost their precious lives due to the accident," it said. "We prostrate ourselves before the victims' families and beg for forgiveness."